Vegeta: the Prince of Pride
by Adeonta
Summary: It has been a few weeks since Goku's return from planet Yardrat, and there has been little give in the intensity of the group's training for Frieza's inevitable return. However it might not be Frieza who will give the group their biggest surprise yet. Can this chain of events be the push Vegeta needs to become the legendary Super Saiyan? Or is there something else at work?
1. Chapter 1

It has been a few weeks since Goku's return from planet Yardrat, and there has been little give in the intensity of the group's training for Frieza's inevitable return. However it might not be Frieza who will give the group their biggest surprise yet. Can this chain of events be the push Vegeta needs to become the legendary Super Saiyan? Or is there something else at work that might change him in more ways one thought possible? Maybe a thaw in the Prince's heart is the only thing stopping him from achieving his goals, but of course nothing is ever as simple as it seems. And once more, where is Frieza and what is the reason behind his delayed return?

This is set after the destruction of planet Namek by Frieza with a slight alteration of events. After many months waiting for Goku's return, he finally arrives back on Earth with no sign of Frieza. The Z fighters decide to dedicate their time to training in hopes of becoming powerful enough for when their enemy finally shows his face again. In this fic, Trunks and the respective timeline does not exist (for now at least).

 _I won't give much away but this is just a heads up to say the first few chapters will be setting up the scene before we jump into the main plot. Whatever happens will be a slow burn so that in the end it actually means something (because it's always more fun that way)! This will start off as a K+ rating, but may eventually move to M depending on how things go. I really hope you enjoy it and would love to know what you think. :)_

x-x-x

Although short, Vegeta's time on Earth so far had changed him in more ways than he would ever admit. From the moment he first stepped foot on the planet's coarse ground, it seemed as though a set of motions was put in place that would eventually remodel the Saiyan Prince into a more diverse, innovated version of himself. The initial fury that raged within his heart at the sight of any weaker being eventually began to subside, and the once violent Prince was now beginning to understand the meaning of mercy.

Vegeta arrived on Earth knowing nothing more than destruction and had little regard for anyone other than himself. Any remorse he did feel did not stretch far at all, not even far enough to shield his own companion, Nappa. Weakness, no matter your loyalty, would inevitably be rewarded with death. Vegeta did well to remember it.

However despite his hostile rampage, Kakarot and the earthlings had shown him mercy in one of his weakest moments. And that is what started the change within him; although not visible at first, the spark inside eventually began to grow. After his encounter with Frieza and Kakarot on planet Namek, he soon found himself back on Earth. With the threat of Frieza looming at any point, Vegeta had opted to stay and train with Kakarot and the others, hoping to learn all the skills he needed in order to become a Super Saiyan. Before long, the intolerable races he once couldn't stand slowly started to become more and more tolerable over time. It seemed that change within Vegeta was happening whether he wanted it to or not.

One particular bout of change decided to visit him on a seemingly average day like many before. Vegeta was sparring with Kakarot in one of their now frequently occurring training sessions, and also sharing the space was Krillin and Gohan, Yamcha and Tien, and close by were Bulma and Master Roshi watching intently.

Dust sprayed across the dry earth as shoes scrapped and knocked loose pebbles with every well-landed kick and defensive footstep the fighters dealt. Vegeta in particular was once again getting annoyed at Kakarot's ability to dodge almost all of his attacks, but in succession, the Prince was also able to dodge his partner's blows when they came back around.

Kakarot was a lot stronger than him and he knew it. He hated him for it. But at the same time, he could tolerate him a considerable amount more than anyone else in their peculiar group. Although he would never admit it, he found he was actually growing more accustomed to everyone as the days progressed on. Of course, there were times when he wanted to tear their arms off for being so absurdly annoying and stupid, but other days he actually, dare he say it, _enjoyed_ their company. Today however, was somewhere between the two.

Kakarot had just managed to land a well-timed hit that caused Vegeta to coil forwards and grab his stomach when something caught the Prince's eye. The taller Saiyan soon wiped the smug expression off his face as he noticed he didn't have Vegeta's full attention.

"Huh? What's up?" Goku raised an eyebrow and followed his partner's gaze as it appeared to focus on something behind him. Vegeta didn't reply. Instead, he raised his body back up to full height and squinted his eyes.

Several hundreds of feet above them and far ahead on the other side of the plains, something big moved across the sky at an alarmingly fast rate. A line of white smoke trailed behind it as it surged through the clouds, and by the time it reappeared out of the second wave of clouds, Vegeta realised his attention wasn't the only one it had caught. Everyone on the training field now stared at it with intent curiosity.

"What are you all looking at? Wait, what's that?" A loud, inquisitive Bulma squeaked as she walked a few paces forwards in order to get a better view of the foreign object.

"I don't know," Krillin replied, "it looks a bit like…like a-"

 _…Like a pod._

Vegeta felt his heart skip a beat and soon realised Kakarot was staring intently at him. From his pale expression, it seemed he too had realised what it was.

Goku and Vegeta immediately raced forwards, not bothering to give the others an explanation. Although it seemed they didn't need one, as it was Gohan to realise next what was happening. "It's a Saiyan pod!" He yelled, before too joining in the chase.

From what Vegeta could see, it was going to land just short of the treeline a couple of miles away. Irritated, he kicked off from the ground and launched himself into the air, overtaking Kakarot with a gust of air.

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as the wind soared past him. It was impossible. Was this really happening? Saiyan pods only meant trouble, and as of yet, there had been no evidence to suggest otherwise. Every single being that emerged from those pods had one thought on their mind: destruction. He knew it all too well.

The chances of its inhabitant being a Saiyan was next to impossible, and for that he was grateful. Once more, there appeared to be only a tremor of energy emerging from the foreign object. However, that didn't mean they were in the clear. Saiyan pods were famous for their speed and durability, and that was one of the reasons the galaxy's most violent warriors used them. So Saiyan or not, whatever emerged from that capsule meant trouble.

He doubled his speed just as the capsule crashed into the earth.

Moments later, it came into view and he landed several metres in front of the newly formed crater. Sickening nostalgia swept over him as he recalled every detail of the familiar spaceship he had spent so many years of his life in travelling across the stars. Not long ago he would have relished at the sight, but now he wanted it gone.

What was he thinking? He was a _Prince._ He was _the_ Prince. Whatever stepped out from inside that pod, he could deal with it. And deal with it he would, as he had done with everything before now. If anyone should be fearful it should be the weak earthlings, not him.

So wrapped up in his own thoughts, Vegeta barely noticed Goku land beside him.

"We should destroy it," Vegeta hissed, taking a step forwards. But the taller Saiyan thrust an arm in front of him before he could make any more ground.

"No." His voice was stern. So stern that Vegeta immediately became infuriated as his natural response to orders kicked in. _He should be the one giving orders, not Kakarot._ Vegeta batted his hand away and grunted.

They stood there in silence for a few minutes eyeballing the spaceship below them, waiting for any indication of movement. Only the next thing to move didn't come from the pod; the rest of the group loudly skidded to a halt behind them a few minutes later. Bulma wiped her hand across her forehead whilst complaining how they 'could have given them a heads up before charging off like that' and how they should 'consider the people who don't have Saiyan eye-sight.'

" _Be quiet!_ " Vegeta spat. The blue-haired woman opened her mouth but before she had the upmost pleasure to reply with a well-thought out Saiyan insult, a quiet, popping sound came from the pod.

The cracked, pink door slowly lowered to the ground, revealing whatever was inside. Vegeta bunched his hands into fists and a couple of the other fighters did the same. Goku however calmly began to make his way down the side of the crater to peer around the door, but before he got there, a hand grasped the opening of the pod from the inside and moments later, a human-like figure emerged.

A head clad with long, dark brown hair peered round the doorway followed closely by a tall, slender body bearing the famous Saiyan battle armour and… _a tail._

 _No!…It couldn't be!_

Vegeta instinctively spread his feet apart and resumed his fighting stance from before. The others did the same.

"It's a…a _Saiyan!_ " Gohan's voice was on the verge of breaking.

Vegeta's head raced with thoughts. _How could this be possible?_ To his knowledge, the only true Saiyans that survived after the fall of his planet were himself, Nappa, Raditz, and Kakarot. Were his eyes deceiving him? Was this creature stood in front of him really a Saiyan? Despite the impossible, every sense was telling him what he didn't want to hear.

He focused on the being's energy again now that is wasn't shielded by the pod's walls, and the sheer power of it merely backed up the unimaginable. _But wait…_ As he felt for the energy in front of him, he noticed that every couple of seconds it would diminish and re-form, much like a candle's flame in the wind. _Were they…injured?_

The new Saiyan was now out of the capsule standing before them, but what caught Vegeta's attention was the somewhat harsh grasp they were exhibiting on the pod's door, as if they were trying to hold themselves up. Next, was the tight grip they had around their waist, much like Vegeta had done before when Kakarot landed a punch.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Goku was the first to break the silence.

The new Saiyan's pain-stricken, dark eyes focused on the bald earthling. "I-I'm looking for r…refuge." Her voice was not harsh, nor calm, but somewhere between the two. It was as if she was trying to hide the pain in her voice, but was inevitably failing.

" _Yeah Right!_ " Krillin scoffed, and the Saiyan's face hardened, making him regret his words ever so slightly. But then he seemed to remember that on his side were in fact three other Saiyan's, so he wasn't in any immediate danger. "We know what you are, you're a Saiyan! Saiyan's don't come to planets seeking _refuge,_ they come here for one thing…they come here to kill every last lifeform they can find!" As he spoke his confidence grew, so much so that he took a step forward, as if forgetting a Saiyan could kill him in seemingly one shot.

"I say we kill her, before she gets the chance to kill us!" Yamcha was the next to speak up.

 _"Enough!"_ Goku raised his voice and silence immediately followed. _Typical,_ Vegeta silently grunted, _always the one to take control of the situation._ Admittedly, he was on Yamcha's side. There was no such thing as a friendly Saiyan, and he himself was proof of that when he and Nappa first arrived just over a year ago. They should kill her before she killed them. _Not that she could_ , he thought absentmindedly; _her power level is too low…and dropping as we speak._ But maybe it was a trap. Maybe she wanted to lull them into a false sense of security…

"You're injured." Kakarot spoke again, taking a couple of steps down towards the woman. "I can tell that much just by looking at you, never mind being able to sense the drop in your power level." The female Saiyan looked at the approaching man and tightened her grip on the pod door. "Tell me, can you sense our power level?"

She stared at him for a few moments, seemingly analysing what she could, and seconds later switched her gaze over to Vegeta's direction. He was slightly taken aback by her scrutineering glare, but he shrugged it off. _At least she can recognise the two that hold the most power here._

"Y-yes," she replied, returning her eye line to Goku.

"Good," he began, "then you know you are in no position to challenge us in your current condition." She hardened her gaze again, and Vegeta swore her eyes turned over a shade a black.

"I wasn't going to challenge you anyway!" She spat, but her hard demeanour didn't last long. As soon as she finished speaking, she let out a pained gasp and fell down to one of her knees. Her arm moved slightly from around her thin waist and Vegeta noticed the blood that had started to gather there. Some of it pooled over her arm and onto her knees.

"Bulma-" Goku began, as if planning a set of instructions to help the woman out.

"Wait, _what?_ " Tien exclaimed, "we're not seriously going to help her, are we?"

"Yeah no offense, but what are we going to do, heal her so that when she's at full strength she can take us all out?" Krillin folded his arms defiantly, "you know Saiyan's aren't well-known for their kind exterior, Vegeta is proof of that…"

"Watch yourself, _baldy._ " The Saiyan Prince spat back. "…But he does have a point, Kakarot."

Goku sighed and for a second, Vegeta actually thought he was considering their argument, but after another look at the wounded Saiyan in front of him, he hardened his gaze again. "We were just about ready to kill you when you first arrived Vegeta, but we took a chance and it all worked out for the better." Bringing up Vegeta's low point was a definite method to fuel his rage, and the Prince was just about ready lash out. Kakarot however, must have noticed the boiling rage the smaller Saiyan was exhibiting through the unprecedented stare he was wearing. "And…" he continued, "I know I'm speaking for all of us when I say it's a bloody good job we took it."

Vegeta folded his arms and could just about hear the sarcastic comments that were forming in Krillin's mind about how _actually,_ he was _not_ so pleased Vegeta was a part of their group now. He glanced over to him in warning. "What?!" The shorter fighter exclaimed, "I didn't say anything!"

Before anyone could say anything else, the female Saiyan let out another gasp and threw her second arm around her waist. Her knees began to buckle underneath her. "Whether you're going to help me or kill me, please…just make up your minds!" Her voice was tinged with sarcasm and pain, and Vegeta could feel her life force slowly draining.

"Bulma, fly everyone to the hospital, we'll meet you there. Vegeta, Krillin, Gohan…come with me." With that, Goku stepped forwards and knelt down in front of the wounded Saiyan. He tucked one arm underneath her knees and wrapped the other just above her waist before ascending into the sky.

Vegeta cursed under his breath as he followed. He had a bad feeling about this.


	2. Chapter 2

Aaand here we have chapter 2! Again this is more scene setting, but important nonetheless.

You can also find me on deviantart under this same username where I draw fanart etc., so feel free to drop me a hello!

Enjoy!

x-x-x

Vegeta found himself waiting outside one of the old, smelly hospital wards next to Kakarot, Gohan and Krillin. It hadn't taken long for them to carry the newest addition to the planet to the nearest medical centre, and he had to admit that the best part of the past hour had been one of the most awkward of his life. During their journey none of them uttered a single word, each fighter lost in their own thoughts of worry, anticipation, and confusion. The Saiyan Prince also shared some of their anguish, and he too was curious as to what was going to happen next. Who was this new Saiyan, and how the hell had she survived his home planet's destruction all those months ago? If anyone had told him he and Kakarot weren't the only Saiyans left, he would have laughed in their face and torn their arms off for wasting his time. But now, the notion didn't seem quite so ridiculous after all…

Even now, waiting outside the ward while the doctors did whatever they were doing to their newest patient, no one spoke. Vegeta could feel Kakarot's anticipation despite the calm exterior he was trying to mimic from before. He couldn't fool him.

Vegeta didn't know how long they were waiting before the door to the ward opened and a small, plump looking woman stepped out. "How is she, doctor?" Gohan asked, not being able to hide the concern in his voice. Whether it was concern for the patient herself, or the danger she posed to the rest of group if she was anywhere near full recovery, Vegeta did not know, but he presumed the latter.

"Well," the woman began with a voice much harsher than one would expect given her kind face. "It's lucky you brought her when you did, any later and we might not have been able to save her. " the doctor continued through the medical procedures they had undergone and Vegeta found his thoughts betraying him once again. He didn't much care what they did to help her; more how long it would take until she was at full health again, and what had happened to render a Saiyan in such a state in the first place.

"-But given all that, she should be out of here within a few weeks." The doctor trailed off. There was a moment of silence as both Krillin and Gohan looked at Kakarot, wondering what their next move was.

"Thank you, doctor." The taller Saiyan said simply.

"No problem. You can now see her if you wish." The woman was about to leave before reminding them that if they should want any assistance concerning the patient, they need only press the buzzer on the table inside. With that, she set off down the corridor.

Just as she disappeared around the corner, a familiar group of bedraggled humans appeared. Bulma and the others speedily made their way over to join them, obviously not putting any effort into hiding the mix of emotions they were feeling.

"What took you so long?" Krillin asked, slightly taken aback by the bewildered expression the blue-haired woman was conveying.

"Zip it, Krillin!" Bulma hissed. She targeted a harsh glare in Yamcha's direction, as if their delay had been down to him. Instead of replying, the fuzzy-haired fighter merely folded his arms and stuck his nose up. _It looks like they're arguing again, pathetic._ Vegeta thought to himself. _Can't they see we have more important issues at hand?_

"You guys wait out here. Vegeta, with me." The Saiyan Prince grunted at his comrade's order, but obeyed nonetheless. Both of them moved over to the ward door and stepped through.

The room was considerably warmer than the corridor, and for that Vegeta was somewhat thankful. That however, was the only comfort he received.

In the centre lay a relatively simple white bed covering the best part of an annoying machine that _ticked_ every couple of seconds. _Much to the same rhythm as a heartbeat,_ Vegeta thought absentmindedly. Both of them walked slowly over to it, as if half expecting its inhabitant to jump up blast them out of the room at any second. As they approached, Vegeta was able to get a better view of the patient. The bed covers were pulled up to just above the Saiyan's waist successfully hiding any bandages they wore, and Vegeta noticed a small needle tucked neatly into the woman's arm that lead up to the machine next to it. That however, was the least of his concern. The main feature that interested him was the person the needle was attached to. He took a step forwards again.

Before him lay a slim, motionless figure with inky brown hair that messily fell to just below their shoulders. It was thick and coarse much like his own, and deep down he knew that this indeed was another of his own species.

The energy that radiated from her was low but stable, and as of now, posed no real threat. It was weird. Vegeta knew all too well of the sheer power Saiyans held and any species that knew them would often shudder at their very mention. However as Vegeta looked at the person in front of him, for some reason, he found himself forgetting about all of that. Instead, he focused on the slow rise and fall of the Saiyan's chest as she breathed. A large part of him still wanted to get rid of her by any means possible if only to ensure their safety, but another, much smaller part of him felt somewhat guilty for paying that notion some thought.

There it was again; that mercy role tugging at his feelings. He wanted to reach inside his chest and incinerate it.

The quiet creaking of the door behind them as it slowly opened pulled Vegeta from his thoughts. "Can we come in yet?" Yamcha's wild hair came into view, and before either of them could answer, the rest of the group carefully clambered into the now shrinking room.

"She doesn't _look_ too scary…" Gohan mumbled taking a few steps forward, but his father stopped him by resting a hand on his shoulder.

"We can't be so certain just yet."

"You would be a fool to underestimate a Saiyan," Vegeta said coarsely.

"You can say that again." Krillin folded his arms, "no but seriously, what are we going to do now?" Although he probably didn't realise, everyone but Vegeta turned their gaze to Goku as if looking for guidance on their next move.

"Well…" he began, scratching his temple with his index finger "there's not much we can do until she wakes up. Until then we should take it in turns watching over her."

There were a few incoherent gasps from everyone at the idea of being left alone with the newly found Saiyan. Krillin in particular began to resemble that of a ghost. "Wait, you're not really going to leave us alone with her, are you?"

"No, not on your own." Goku moved to face him and the others, turning his back on the patient. Vegeta raised an eyebrow, curious as to what he was getting at. "We'll pair up and take shifts staying here at the hospital. If she wakes up, try and make her talk, I don't think she's in any position to do anything…dangerous. But any sign of trouble and you give me a shout. Has everyone got that?" Vegeta could just about hear Krillin and the others sigh with relief at the idea they would pair up. Although he didn't quite fancy spending however many hours babysitting an intruder with Kakarot, he himself couldn't think of a better plan. Well, apart from blowing the Saiyan up of course, but somehow he didn't think that idea would be all too popular with everyone else.

"I'll go with Gohan, Vegeta stay with Krillin, and then Yamcha and Tien can take over. Is that okay with everyone? We'll switch every three or four hours." Vegeta cursed under his breath and shot Kakarot one of his deadliest stares. _Krillin?_ Out of all the people in this stupid group he was to be paired with Krillin?! Although when he thought about it, there was no point pairing himself and Kakarot together. If anything bad was to happen, they alone would be able to take care of the problem, so it made sense to pair them up with one of the weaker fighters. However out of Yamcha, Tien, and Krillin, Krillin was most probably the strongest of the three…so why him? He cursed as realisation overtook him. Kakarot knew more than anyone his dislike for Krillin, and so he probably paired them up as some sort of joke. _I'll remember this next time, Kakarot._

"Vegeta and Krillin," Goku began "I'll give you a call in a few hours. For the rest of you, I don't suppose there's any point in you all staying. I'll let you know if anything changes."

There was a lot of muttering at Goku's plan, but eventually they dispersed leaving only Kakarot, Gohan, and Vegeta alone with the unconscious patient. "I hope you know what you're doing." With that, he slammed the door behind him and set off down the corridor.

Not long later, Vegeta found himself sat atop one of the nearby buildings roughly forty stories high. The cool wind brushed past his face and ruffled his hair as he leant back on his arms. The murky blue sky was slowly losing its colour and transforming into its usual dim orange and red canvas as the sun began to lower in the sky. If Kakarot were here he would have spared a couple of moments to admire the somewhat unusual colours, but Vegeta gave little thought to such pastimes. Instead, he sat there contemplating the day's events. The only conclusion he could settle on was a question of what the hell had just happened.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but before long he heard Kakarot's annoying voice enter his thoughts. _"Time to switch."_

Vegeta kicked off from the dusty building top and lunged towards the hospital in the distance. _"Has she said anything?"_ He asked telepathically. There was a long pause. _"Kakarot? Answer me damnit!"_ Another pause. Vegeta picked up his speed and surged through the hospital's main door, knocking a couple of people off their chairs. In the blink of an eye he ascended the stairs to the second floor and landed just outside the ward. He was about to barge into the room ready to fight when a most unexpected sound met his ears. _Was that…laughter?_

He slammed the door open to see Gohan arched forwards clutching his sides with amusement. Kakarot was also shaking whilst rubbing his nose with the back of his hand. "Oh, hey Vegeta!" Gohan giggled as the Saiyan Prince loudly barged into the room.

Vegeta was bewildered. But at what exactly, he couldn't decide. He switched his gaze from Gohan, to Kakarot, to the Saiyan lying in the hospital bed now very much awake. Her dark, stern eyes met his own for a moment, but she quickly returned her gaze to the other two Saiyans in the room. "What the hell is this?" He spat.

"Er…what do you mean?" Gohan stared at him with his large, ridiculous eyes. "It's been about four hours now, time to switch watch duties." The door opened again and Krillin walked in cautiously.

"What's all this noise for-ah! She's awake?!" He took a step back. "Has she…ugh, tried to kill us yet?"

"Well I'm still here." Gohan muttered defiantly.

"I am _right here_ you know!" Everyone turned to face the Saiyan lying in the bed, who was now half-sat up awkwardly against the side board. Vegeta stared at her intently. Her power level had increased significantly compared to when he had left a few hours ago, however it flickered every now and again with every movement she made.

"Right." Goku smiled his stupid smile and faced the others. "Vegeta, Krillin, meet Fortina. Fortina, meet Vegeta and Krillin." He laid his arm on his son's shoulder and guided him to the door. _"If you need me, you know how to contact me, but somehow I don't think you'll need to."_ And with that, they left, leaving a very bewildered Krillin and Vegeta at the doorway.

For what seemed like an eternity, Vegeta, Krillin, and the new Saiyan waited in silence. Krillin began to awkwardly intertwine his fingers, avoiding any eye contact. "So, did you come here to kill us or not?" He asked, nervously. Vegeta folded his arms and stared at the intruder carefully.

"If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it by now." Her voice was cool, and it sent chills down his spine at how calm she was. She was weak and injured and her arrogance infuriated him. Fortina smiled lightly as Krillin took a small step back. "Relax, I told you, I came here seeking refuge."

"And you got it." Vegeta interrupted, "so what do you plan to do now?" His voice was harsh and bitter.

"I don't know, what do you plan to do?" She returned his glare with a glare of her own. Krillin chuckled under his breath at her sarcasm. Very few people had the courage to challenge Vegeta's harsh demeanour, and despite the fact she was a Saiyan and he knew nothing about her, she was starting to grow on him.

Vegeta furrowed his eyebrows. "Don't play games with me," he spat, "planet Vegeta was destroyed over a year ago. Tell me how you survived, and why you're here now, on Earth."

Fortina slowly shifted her weight so she was sat more upright against the head board. "I told you, I came here seeking refuge, for that very reason. Planet Vegeta was destroyed and I-" she hesitated, averting her eye line "-managed to get away."

" _How?"_ Vegeta hissed again. "If you truly are a Saiyan then you must know who I am. I am Vegeta, _Prince_ of all Saiyans, and you're lucky you're still alive. If it were down to me, you wouldn't still _be_ here." Krillin's mouth gaped at the Saiyan's sudden change in attitude, completely astonished. _Gee,_ he thought, _you would have thought she had just_ punched _him or something._

"I know who you are", she replied carefully after a good few moments. "But you're not the same Saiyan Prince in the legends, are you?" Slowly, she met his gaze, challenging his authority. The air became so thick Krillin thought he was going to suffocate. "If you were, then you wouldn't be standing here, I can tell you that much. Back home you were well known for your unrelenting force and sheer disregard for life. You would level planets in the blink of an eye and show no consideration to anything or anyone. But now here you stand, threatening to kill an intruder in case she poses a threat to planet Earth and its inhabitants. Tell me _Prince,_ what changed?"

Vegeta was one breath away from blasting the entire room into oblivion. He could feel his anger rising and he had no intention to stop it. _How dare she?!_ She was in no position to be making such snide comments; she was no match for him and unless she was born yesterday, she should know that. And yet, she had the audacity to sit in front of him and challenge his very existence.

….But at the same time, her words tugged at something deep within him. It was true, a year ago and he would have destroyed this planet in a heartbeat. But now, many months later, he found himself fighting alongside these earthlings as if he _owed_ them something. Some of them he even considered to be his _friends._ Well, on the good days anyway.

 _What_ had _happened to him? What_ had _changed?_

Both Saiyans glared at each other with unblinking eyes, neither showing any sign of waning. "Er…guys, let's just calm it down a bit." Krillin's voice was slightly hoarse, but he was willing to take the chance of sounding like an idiot if it meant he didn't get torn to pieces at the rising tension in the room. "Vegeta here is known to come across a bit erm…shall we say _strong_ sometimes. But don't mind him too much. He may be eighty percent seething rage, but every now and again he is capable of a normal conversation." _Even if it_ is _once in a blue moon,_ he added silently. "So if not for him, could you at least tell _me_ how you managed to get away, and why you were in such a bad condition when you got here? I'm just a bit curious, is all…"

Fortina tore her eye line from the rude Saiyan that obviously had anger issues and considered the bald human for a few moments. "Well, I don't know how much you know about the Saiyan race" she began carefully, "but they're not the kindest bunch of people out there." Krillin grinned.

"Well actually, I do know _that_ much."

"When we are old enough or at the sufficient power level," Fortina continued, her voice softening ever so slightly at Krillin's kind demeanour, as if she was glad of it after the recent outburst from Vegeta. "We get sent to planets with one mission: destruction. Our job is to rid the planet of all its inhabitants in order to sell it for a good price on the planet market. Up until last year I had managed to avoid that job line by involving myself in other various activities. However they did eventually come for me after one of their previous warriors failed to claim a planet. Without a choice, they sent me away to this planet with the order to 'kill and collect'." She trailed off, losing herself in her own thoughts.

"…And did you do it?" Krillin asked cautiously, not sure if he wanted to know the answer. Right now was the moment they found out whether she was a cold-blooded killer like Vegeta had once been… _and possibly still is_ , and he wasn't sure what he was going to do if she was.

"No," she said plainly. "I couldn't do it. I _wouldn't_ do it. And I knew that if I didn't, I would be thrown in prison and probably executed, but at the same time there was no way I could murder an entire species on the basis of profit. I refused. Then it turned out they sent another Saiyan to watch over me; it was as if they knew I was going to refuse in the first place. My only option was to fight and run, or submit and get taken back to my home planet a prisoner. So I decided to run."

Krillin listened intently as she spoke, considering everything she said and what it meant in the long run. "But, why did you come to Earth? Why not a closer planet? You were pretty badly injured when you got here, why risk the chance of travelling so far away?"

"Because I knew Earth was the one place the other Saiyan wouldn't expect me to go, and for that very reason. I could go to a closer planet, but eventually he would find me. Earth would be the last place he would look knowing there wasn't a high chance of me surviving the journey."

Vegeta eyeballed her closely. Her story explained how she had managed to survive the destruction of their planet, yet he didn't understand why she would risk her own death just to reach Earth. There must be another motive she was hiding. But another part of her tale struck his interest as well…the fact there was another Saiyan out there. Had he returned to their home planet after Fortina ran, or were they still searching for her? Or would the news of their planet's destruction throw them off course? If there was no authority left, then surely they would drop their mission and find their own refuge somewhere else. Or maybe with no home planet and nothing left to lose, they would dedicate all their time to this one last mission to honour the planet. Vegeta only hoped it was the former.

"Well that's a very lovely story," he scoffed as he made his way over to the door. "Truly, it melts my heart. But I've got better things to do than babysit a broken warrior."

"Wait, where are you going Vegeta? Goku said we should pair up-"

"She's obviously no threat to us in her current state, so my time is better spent elsewhere." And with that the Saiyan Prince left, leaving a very bewildered Krillin alone with the alien patient.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been exactly six days since Fortina was admitted to hospital, and since then it seemed as if everyone in their little group had gotten to know the new Saiyan to the extent they were on speaking terms with her. Well, all apart from Vegeta. After the first couple of days it was decided that Fortina actually had no intentions of destroying them or the planet, and their 'babysitting regime', as Vegeta so kindly called it, was soon rendered useless. This of course was backed up by a quick mind-reading trick from Goku to double check she was telling the truth. Now, instead of staying with Fortina for guarding purposes, several of them visited her out of pure good will. A lot of the time she spent with Goku and Gohan, explaining what it was like to live on planet Vegeta and how awful it sounded in comparison to their content life on Earth. Even Bulma had faced her fear of any species outside her home planet and found herself spending more time at the hospital than her own home talking to the new guest.

This Bulma, as the new Saiyan soon found out, was a feisty, opinionated woman who loved nothing more than a good scientific problem to think over as a pass time. Yamcha and Tien's main interests involved fighting, and the thing that brought their barriers down towards her was when she offered to spar with them to help increase their reflexes. Master Roshi and his animal friends had only visited once, if only out of curiosity to see the new Saiyan, but she could tell they were still in fact scared of her if not for the way they maintained a good few metres distance between her at all times. Krillin in particular amused Fortina the most, with his sarcastic and witty nature towards anything and anyone.

"You know," he had muttered only several days prior "I always wondered what it would be like to be a Saiyan. I mean, I don't understand why you would put up with all that hair, personally I think it just gets in the way when you fight." Had he mentioned a Saiyan's appearance to Vegeta and he would have probably blown him to pieces. Today however, it was Bulma, Krillin, and Gohan who found themselves sat opposite Fortina.

The female Saiyan felt like a new person in comparison to the state she was in when she first arrived at the hospital, and she knew that it wouldn't be soon until she could leave. The wound on her side that had rendered her almost incapacitated was fully healed, and her broken ribs resembled those that had never known damage. That however, was down to the Saiyan's unique quick healing ability rather than the medicine, but Fortina kept that part to herself. Bulma had been kind enough to bring her fresh clothes every couple of days, and had even washed and repaired her light-weight Saiyan armour for her. At the time, Krillin had made a complaint about how Bulma never opted to wash _his_ clothes for him. In response, the blue-haired woman had merely kicked the leg of his chair and sent him flying with a comment of how she wasn't his mother.

The door to the ward opened and the same plump, blonde-haired doctor from before walked in holding a clipboard. Before she had a chance to speak, Fortina kicked her feet over the edge of the bed and knocked her covers away. "Am I free to leave?" The woman reluctantly granted she may leave under the condition she didn't do anything too strenuous for at least another week, and if anything were to happen she come straight back.

"Where will you go now?" Krillin asked as the four of them made their way down the corridor. "Are you going to stay on Earth or-"

"Wait, you can't just _leave!"_ Bulma interrupted, grabbing Fortina's arm. "Honestly, you Saiyans are _ridiculous,_ you fly away in your pods and give no consideration for the people you leave behind." The Saiyan raised a dark eyebrow.

"You just don't want me to leave you here with the guys, huh?"

Bulma paused. "Well what do _you_ think? Being in the company of men all the time is enough to drive _anyone_ crazy. Their eating habitats are inhumane and their manners will one day result in my inevitable _death_. Having you around has reminded me what it's like to be in the presence of civilised company. I mean yeah there's Chi-Chi, but she's hardly ever here. She doesn't approve of fighting _or_ science so what am I going to do if you go?"

"Sheesh, she's only been here a week." Bulma elbowed Krillin at his unwanted comment.

"Go and choke on a pie, Krillin."

"No but seriously, where will you go?" Gohan stared up at the taller Saiyan with large, inquisitive eyes. "Surely you won't leave _straight_ away?" Fortina looked at him uncomfortably. To be quite honest, she hadn't thought about what she was going to do after she left the hospital. In fact, she barely thought too far ahead in most situations since it was very rare she ever actually a choice in what was going to happen. With Fortina, things just seemed to…happen, and she would just have to deal with it in whatever way she could. Growing up a Saiyan meant you never had the luxury of making decisions for yourself, not _really_.

"Well if I'm being brutally honest with you, I haven't actually thought about it. I guess I was just going to see what state I was in when I made it to Earth and…didn't consider what would happen afterwards." She stopped just outside the exit door to the hospital, contemplating what was going to happen next. As soon as she stepped outside, where would she go? Back to her ship? The travel pod she arrived in was made for purely that – travelling, not long-term accommodation. Would she find a place to stay on Earth and just…stay there for a while? Now that she thought about it, should she stay a bit longer and lay low to avoid running the risk of the other Saiyan finding her?

"What's up?" Krillin asked as the female Saiyan refused to leave the building. "Is something wrong?"

"No, I ugh…I'm just not exactly sure where I'm going to go as soon as I leave here." For the first time in Fortina's life, she was confused. She felt Bulma grab her arm again.

"I've got an idea!" Her blue eyes lit up as she span the Saiyan to face her. "My dad has one of those portable houses, I mean I don't know why because he never uses it apart from storage, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind us clearing it out for you. You could stay there until you figure out what you're going to do next if you want?"

"Yeah that's a good idea!" Gohan was the next to speak up, "then you can train with us for a while until you choose what you want to do!"

Fortina stood there, speechless. No one had ever offered her such kindness in such a short amount of time. Normally, when people found out she was a Saiyan they would turn and run or attack, not offer her a place to live. "But, why?" She asked, "why would you do that for me? As you said, you only met me a week ago, and now you're offering me a place to stay?"

"Well sure!" Bulma squeaked, as she normally did when she had a 'bright idea'. "When you think about it, it's actually in our best interest to have as many people as possible on our team; because knowing our luck it won't be long before some other all-powerful alien comes to attack us… _since we seem to attract them…_ and when that happens we'll take all the help we can get!"

"Besides, we let Vegeta into our little group and he tried to kill us the moment he stepped foot on Earth. It's the least we can do considering _you_ didn't try to kill us. A friendly Saiyan, who would have thought?!" Gohan shot Krillin a cold stare. "Well of course you and your dad are friendly, Gohan. But you were brought up here on Earth, not on a murderous planet." He turned back to Fortina and made another comment about how Bulma had also offered residence to the entire Namek race at one point. "So what do you say?" He finished.

"You Earth-lot sure are strange," she murmured to herself, "but if that's all right with you, I'd quite like to stay around a bit longer. Besides, I can't leave Bulma alone now, can I?"

And so it was settled. Fortina would stay on earth until she figured out what the hell she was going to do, or she was sure it was safe to leave again.

x

News soon got round that Fortina was staying, and after a few hours of clearing out Dr. Brief's portable home, Fortina found herself lying on the old sofa they had managed to pull out of his garage. She had fought monsters and aliens alike, but at that moment she swore she had never felt as drained as she had after _cleaning...was this what humans did all day?_

As she lay there, she realised how strange the past week had been. One day she was fleeing for her life with no guarantee she would survive, and the next she had a place she could stay while waiting out the next chain of events. Not to mention she found she was growing accustomed to some of the planet's inhabitants: Bulma, Krillin, Gohan, Goku, Yamcha, and Tien, to mention a few. As she lay there, she found that one name wormed its way into her thoughts...Vegeta.

After the destruction of her home planet and being labelled a criminal, she thought nothing could surprise her. However after meeting Vegeta she soon realised that the universe was full of weird occurrences. Not because she had met the famous Prince of all Saiyans, but because he was so... _anticlimactic._ He was famous for being an unrelenting force of destruction, yet when she saw him he didn't do _anything._ Lucky for her he hadn't destroyed the planet...but _why_ hadn't he?

Fortina rolled over onto her side and tucked her tail around her waist. Although she had just spent the past week sat doing nothing in a hospital, she was exhausted. Whoever Vegeta had become, she didn't care. If anything he only infuriated her. She closed her eyes. For now, all that mattered was she was safe, if at least only for a short while.


	4. Chapter 4

Once again dust sprayed across the training field as a small group of people punched and dodged any incoming blows with unrelenting speed. Gohan and Krillin were bouncing across the boulder tops in some form of chase game, and Tien and Goku were battling it out in their usual spot just across the patch of grass before the tree line. Vegeta had never been one to find any joy in observing people train, but today was an exception. For some reason, after Fortina's recovery she had decided to remain on the planet for longer than he had hoped for. Vegeta knew the motives and reasoning behind everyone in their pathetic group, but this new Saiyan threw a spanner in the works. He didn't know anything about her and once more she wasn't an easy book to read. The sooner she left the better. Today however presented an opportunity to learn more about the newest addition to their group, since she had finally given in to Yamcha's persistent nagging to spar with him. But so far she was yet to turn up.

About an hour passed before Vegeta stood up. He had had enough of listening to Kakarot mumbling to his son about 'core strength' and the 'energy within' and if he had to hear any more of it he wasn't going to be held responsible for what destruction he released. He was just about to leave when a flicker of energy appeared on his mental map…no _two_ flickers. He spun around just in time to see a grinning Yamcha and passive Fortina kick their feet onto the dusty earth. The female Saiyan's tail flickered in the wind behind her and Vegeta found himself in a lost case of nostalgia. Ever since losing his tail he had often found himself missing the additional power it gave him, even if he did rarely use it. It was strange, he barely considered it when it was still attached, but now without it he wanted it back more than ever. Of course, he would never admit it. Instead, he found himself staring enviously at Fortina. He hated her even more.

"All right! Yamcha exclaimed, punching the air with his fist. "Let's get this started!" Fortina brushed her long hair from her face and smirked. "What's my first lesson?" Vegeta watched intently, waiting for either of them to make the first move.

"Well, just try and hit me first," she replied calmly.

"What, that's it? I mean, I don't want to hurt you, you're not even wearing proper armour…" She rolled her eyes in response as if to say 'just do it'. Without any more hesitation, Yamcha lunged forwards and swung at Fortina with all his might. He felt the wind spread through his fingers and with every second his strike became faster and stronger. He threw his full weight into it and relished at the impact that was about to happen. He felt alive, he felt free, he felt…nothing.

" _What?!"_ How had he missed? She was _just_ there! Yamcha merely stood still with his arm outstretched, punching nothing but air.

Several metres away, Vegeta furrowed his eyebrows. She was fast, but that wasn't the reason he was annoyed. Ever since she arrived on Earth the new Saiyan had been hiding her true power level. The reason for that Vegeta never knew, but he figured it was because it was one of the ways she had managed to escape discovery of the other Saiyan pursuing her. She probably just continued to suppress it out of habit, but that wasn't good enough for the Saiyan Prince. By watching Fortina training, he had hoped she would raise it at least a little if only to give him an indication of her true power. But he felt nothing. It was infuriating.

Yamcha threw punch after punch, never managing to land a blow and all the while Fortina danced around him like he was a toy. Soon, Vegeta realised he wasn't the only one watching their sparring session. Tien, Goku, Krillin, and Gohan too were eagerly watching their battle. It suddenly dawned on him that he wasn't the only one who had never watched her fight before; everyone else appeared to be curious as to what she had in her also. No one spoke; the only sound came from Yamcha as he heaved with every blow. It didn't take long until he stopped, panting heavily over one knee on the ground.

Fortina stood over him with folded arms, baring an indignant expression as if to ask whether that's all the energy Yamcha had in him. He stared up at her, dazed. For a second, panic swept over him as he looked at the Saiyan towering over him. His mind brought him back to the day Vegeta had first arrived on earth, and how the terrible Nappa had laughed while Yamcha struggled to draw his last breath. Now, before him stood another Saiyan bearing just as much fire in her eyes as her former conspecifics. If she wanted, she could kill him in the blink of an eye without breaking a sweat. Any movement she made could result in his inevitable death. He daren't move. But then, she did the unimaginable. She stretched out a hand towards him.

He looked at it blankly. She wriggled it. "I mean, unless you _want_ to stay on the ground." Fortina's voice seemed to pull him back to reality. It was then that he realised the woman stood before him was no killer. Her eyes held the same cold stare that all warriors had, but behind the darkness, there was light. He grabbed her arm and she pulled him onto his feet. "Not bad" she smiled, and Yamcha started laughing, if only out of relief. Soon everyone else joined in as if they too, had been reminded of the true hostility of Saiyans, only to have their fears revoked at the last second. Vegeta however, was certainly not laughing.

"Enough of this!" He shouted whilst kicking off the rock he was currently perched on. Everyone turned to look at him with confused expressions; Goku's in particular resembled that of a rabbit in headlights at his sudden outburst. " _Fortina,"_ he grumbled before realising it was the first time he had said her name out loud. It felt strange on his tongue. "You've been hiding your true potential ever since you arrived here on Earth. Fight _me._ I want to see if you're truly worth the Saiyan label."

"Well sheesh, you could have just _asked._ " He heard Krillin mutter under his breath. Had it been any other day and he would have shot him a death stare, but right now he didn't have time for his sarcastic comments. His eyes were focused solely on the dark-haired woman in front of him who merely raised her head at his oncoming challenge.

As he closed the distance between them, everyone else moved away to either give them room for the upcoming fight or out of fear at Vegeta's rage, but he didn't care either way. All that mattered now was the woman before him. She raised an eyebrow.

"All right _Prince-y_ , let's see what you've got." Vegeta lunged forwards and they both disappeared from sight.

Both moved with incredible speed, every now and again coming back into sight before vanishing again almost instantly. Vegeta threw punch after punch, trying to anticipate the maximum speed his opponent could take. But every blow he tried to deal missed, and each time he found himself striking nothing but air. She was fast, that much he could tell. At first it annoyed him; he could feel her toying with him as she had done Yamcha, but his mood brightened as a strike of realisation hit him as he finally understood just how she was just about able to dodge every blow.

Back on their home planet, Saiyans were trained in battle from an unbelievably young age. However, this training was split between a trade-off for both power and speed. The normal routine was to split training equally between the two, but occasionally different groups of Saiyans would dedicate more time to one area over the other. Vegeta of course found that notion ridiculous. If you trained more in power, then speed would become your weakness, but if you dedicated your time to speed then power would be your downfall. So of course the most popular thing to do was to cut your losses and train equally in both, just as Vegeta had done. But for Fortina, it seemed that this was not the case.

Her speed was unprecedented, but that meant her power training would have ultimately suffered as a result. Speed was great if you could dodge every blow your opponent dealt, but eventually you would tire and one strike from the enemy would be a great deal more deadly than if power had been your main training focus. Vegeta of course, would use this to his advantage.

The minutes drew on as both Saiyans dashed around the training area, neither showing any sign of waning. Vegeta was yet to land a hit, and Fortina was yet to try and deal one. It seemed as if the Saiyan Prince was set on attacking and the other on dodging, but neither tactic appeared to be winning or losing. The only thing that seemed to be progressing was their movement towards one of the unstable pile of boulders at the far end of the field.

Before he knew it, Fortina had her back to the pyramid of rocks facing him. _Now he had her, there was no where she could go._ With one mighty surge, he threw his fist at her, aiming straight for her shoulder. If he hit, he would finally have an indication as to how much power she had buried deep within depending on how well she took it.

The air around him seemed to whistle as his hand launched forwards. He could just about feel the impact drawing nearer with each millisecond. And then he felt it. But _it_ wasn't what he expected.

Vegeta's hand collided with the pile of boulders with such force that they shattered almost instantly. Before he had time to realise his mistake, the rocks fell with an all-mighty _crash_ , covering him from every direction. Everything within a ten-metre radius clattered as the stones eventually settled, leaving nothing but a mound of rubble where the two Saiyans once stood.

Moments later, Vegeta's fist punched its way out of the rubble, followed by the emergence of a very annoyed Saiyan Prince. He spluttered and coughed as the dust tickled his throat. The ground rocked unevenly beneath his feet as he tried to adjust to the new mess he had just made. But just as he was able to find better footing, a sudden movement to the right of him caught his attention.

He looked down just in time to see a hand grip his forearm. The next thing he knew, his weight was being lifted from beneath him and before he had time to counterattack, his body was launched into the air.

Seconds later, his back connected with something cold and hard and he felt the wind leave his lungs. He hit the ground with a thud.

The blow he received wasn't painful, it merely took him by surprise. Consequently, it didn't take long before he was back on his feet again. Vegeta raised his eye line across the field just in time to see Fortina rise back up to full height after hurling the Prince across the ground. She clapped her hands together and watched the cloud dust that formed afterwards, before raising her own gaze to meet that of her components.

He stared at her intently. Vegeta's immediate response was rage; first at Fortina for throwing him across the training field, but then at himself for allowing him to let his guard down. Yet as he looked into her dark, fierce eyes, she reminded him of himself. He too, had once shared that passion for battle, relishing at the thought of a challenge whenever the chance arose. It was as if he was staring at a younger version of himself; a time before he had known the fear of death, and a time before the destruction of his planet had resulted in the feeling of desolation that stemmed within him.

This new Saiyan was gritty, and for some reason Vegeta felt some level of intrigue towards her.

Everyone was silent, not sure whether the spar was over, or whether the two Saiyans were going to transform the training session into a fully-fledged battle. The tension in the air was so thick it was as if Chi-Chi could cut it with a knife, bake it, and transform it into a cake. But out of everything that could have happened next, no one would have thought Vegeta smiling would be an option

But smile he did.


	5. Chapter 5

"Er, you feeling okay Vegeta?" Fortina heard Krillin mumble from behind. She too, was a bit taken aback by the Saiyan Prince's odd composure. She had literally picked him up like a child and launched him a few metres into a tree, and now he was… _smiling_ at her? She had always thought it was odd how calm and collected he was in comparison to the legends, but maybe it's because he had completely lost his _mind._

Slowly, he made his way over to her, folding his arms as he did so. Fortina wasn't sure whether the spar had stopped, or whether he was closing the distance to take another swing at her, so she merely stood there. Everything felt weird. As he moved closer he maintained eye contact, but she wasn't sure whether he was smirking at what he was about to do, or he was just surprised at what just happened. Before she was knew it, he was a mere metre away from her. His smile soon vanished and Fortina wondered whether she had imagined it or not.

On level ground they were roughly at an even eye-level, and Vegeta's increased height only came from the sheer gravity defying black hair that extended above him. For a moment, Fortina wondered what possessed him to maintain such hair, or whether it came from the indefinite lack thereof. But she soon brushed that thought from her mind as she realised there were more important things at stake. Or were there? She clenched her fists, ready to defend if need be.

"We're done here," Vegeta's deep, jagged voice enter her ears. "Perhaps there's more to you than I first thought." He turned his back on her, ready to take off and leave, but before he did he cocked his head to the side if only to give one last comment. "Your speed is impressive, but that will be your downfall." With that, the energy around him ascended and he shot into the air leaving nothing but a trail of white dust.

Fortina stood there baffled, staring at the spot in the sky where the Saiyan Prince once was. There was just no telling what was going on in that mind of his. Since arriving, Vegeta had been both hot and cold towards her, with an equilibrium that was shifted most definitely toward the cold side of the scale. _What a drama queen._

"I wouldn't worry," Goku said calmly as he moved to stand next to her, pulling her from her speculation. It was strange, whenever she found herself lost in her thoughts, he was the one to reassure her. It was almost as if he could read her mind, and the idea should terrify her. Yet one look at his cheery face was enough to make her ease off. One sour person wasn't worth the agitation. "He's always like that. It took him a while to warm up to us too, but he got there eventually." He finished with his signature, friendly smile, and Fortina found herself wanting to smile in return.

"Speak for yourself," Krillin and Tien mumbled in unison.

Fortina looked up at Goku and wondered how he always managed to conjure the energy to look at the positives in every situation. It was hard to believe that such a friendly face had the potential to destroy everyone here…or so she had been told. "What is it?" He asked as she stared up at him.

"You're always so happy, it's unnerving." He returned her stare with all seriousness and he wasn't sure whether she was insulting him or giving him a compliment. But then after a while she smiled, and the taller Saiyan laughed in succession.

"Say Fortina, you good to carry on?" Yamcha asked after they had quietened down. "Or has Vegeta freaked you out enough to make you want to throw in the towel for the day?"

Fortina flicked a strand of hair out of her face and smirked. "It takes more than some spoilt Prince to unnerve me." She spun around. "Why don't you try again? Let's see if you can actually hit me this time, Yamcha."

x

Hundreds of thousands of miles away, a tanned, muscular hand clenched into a fist, crushing the once shiny stone that it beheld into a pile of crumbs. The arm it was attached to twitched and relaxed, releasing a stream of dust that trickled onto the floor.

"Well that's a shame," a cool, crackling voice sounded nearby. "That was one of my favourite rocks." In the shadows a long, thick tail that resembled one of a lizard flicked menacingly back and forth.

"Well, do we have a deal?" Another voice echoed in the darkness, much deeper than the previous one. "You must be able to tell by now that I'm very different to my predecessors, so what is your answer? Give me your decision!"

Suddenly, there was a loud shattering noise that resonated from behind the second speaker as concrete shattered into thousands of pieces. " _I am the one to give the orders around here."_

The second speaker jolted and took a step backwards, stunned at the sheer animosity of the others reply. Their body shook in terror for a second as they were reminded of the creature they were addressing. "I…I'm sorry. Forgive me, it won't happen again."

"No, it won't," barked another reply, sounding significantly less deadly than the last.

No one spoke for a while, and the taller of the two beings wondered whether the other had forgotten they were stood there. For a few moments he contemplated on the idea whether he had made the right decision to request an audience with this creature, unsure as to whether if they refused their request, they would kill them on the spot. And he knew that they could, and had done many times before with previous unsuccessful applicants. There was a reason so few stepped into this line of work. If 'work' was what you could call it; to this creature there was a fine line between 'work' and 'sport.' He just hoped he didn't fall into the latter.

"There was a reason I killed your kind," the cold voice spoke up again, "yet here you are. Maybe there was also a reason as to why you survived. Maybe this is how I'll get what I want, and maybe you will be the one to help me." The lizard-like tail stopped moving. "Or maybe, you will fail me, like so many others before your time. You say you want to kill this person out of honour for your species, but I have no interest in honour, or your species. Tell me again why I should help _you_."

"Because there is a chance I can lead you to what _you_ want."

"I don't like to leave things to _chance."_ The tail wrapped itself around the slender body it was attached to, and they both began to rise above the ground. "But lucky for you, you caught me in a good mood. I am willing to take your chance. Take what you need. I hope for your sake, you don't disappoint me." The dark figure disappeared, leaving behind the silhouette of one other. He smiled.

"Don't worry Frieza, I won't."


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey, can I ask you something?" After a long day of fighting, the only people that remained were Krillin, Gohan, Goku, and Fortina, who found themselves lying down and enjoying the remainder of the sun's warm rays. Once again Fortina found herself enjoying her time on Earth more than she ever thought she would. Back on planet Vegeta, sparring sessions were followed by more sparring sessions, and they were rarely granted a break. It was constantly mission after mission. Fight, report in, train, start the cycle again. However on Earth, she could train when she wanted and take a break when she wanted. The whole thing was absurd, but she liked it.

"Yeah, sure." Fortina rolled her head over to the side to look at Goku a few metres away across the grass to find his gaze was already on her. "What's up?"

"Well, I was just curious about why you are the way that you are." The black-haired Saiyan sat up and leant back on his arms. "I mean, out of all the Saiyans I've met, they haven't been the most friendliest. They always want to fight something or someone and all they're interested in is becoming more powerful."

"Yeah, and I understand why Goku and Gohan aren't like that; because they were raised here on Earth. But you were born and raised on planet Vegeta, so why are so… _nice?"_ It was Krillin's turn to sit up.

Fortina shifted her gaze from Goku, to Krillin, and back to Goku again. She stared at them carefully. Her natural instinct when presented with any questions about her motives was to lie, and she found herself tempted to do so right then. If growing up on planet Vegeta had taught her anything, it was that no one ever had anyone's best interest in mind apart from their own. Spilling your heart out to anyone other than yourself was a mistake one would do well to avoid. Yet for some reason, she trusted these people, probably more than she should.

"Erm well, I don't know really." Fortina tilted her head back to the sky and focused on the clouds. She figured she would find it easier to explain if she didn't have to look at them directly; she didn't do too well under pressure.

"I suppose it's down to the fact that although I trained on Vegeta, I didn't spend too much time there. As children we were tested on our power level, and depending upon our ranking we got assigned different jobs. From a very young age I learned how to hide my power level, so when we were tested my little trick came in handy. Rather than have to find and claim planets, I was sent to first analyse and learn from them to decide whether they were worth the hassle. In the years I spent doing this I visited many planets, both peaceful and destructive, but I suppose that's where I learned the difference between killing for sport and killing when you had no other choice." She paused for a few moments before she too, sat up. Her tail flickered and brushed a few strands of hair out of her face as the wind blew them.

"You know," she continued, "I spent quite a lot of time on a planet similar to this one. Its inhabitants were peaceful, but their technology was far behind what you have. I knew that it would fetch a high price on the market, but at the same time, I just couldn't turn it in. I couldn't' condemn so many innocent lives to death for any price. So I lied. I told my people the price wasn't good enough. It was then that they came to visit it themselves, discovered I had lied, and tried to kill me. But in the battle, they realised I had been hiding my power level the whole time and so I was quickly brought back to my home planet and re-assigned. My new job was that of a typical Saiyan; to clear planets that were seen fit of all inhabitants in order to sell it. But on my first mission I couldn't do it, and well, here I am…"

When put as simply as that, Fortina wondered how many other people had been in her position. Although the Saiyan race was known for their destructive nature, there were of course a few of them that objected to their way of life, but picking them out from the crowd was difficult. Any signs of rebellion to their way of life were soon identified and taken care of. Fortina was just one of the lucky ones. If Planet Vegeta had not been destroyed, then by now a whole fleet of Saiyans would have been sent out to track her down, rather than just the one. Despite such harsh methods, there were times that Fortina felt guilty for her home planet's destruction. It was of course better for other races in the long run, since now they did not have to run the risk of monkey-tailed individuals invading their planet, but even so, the extinction of a race was still a sad thing to behold, especially that of your own species.

"Hey Fortina, are you okay?" Gohan's sweet, quiet voice brought he back to reality. It turned out she had been staring at her feet for much longer than expected.

She met his gaze and smiled. Concern of her well-being was another thing she was not accustomed to, but it made her realise how much better her life had become and how it was all down to a little blue planet hidden away at the end of the solar system. "Yeah," she replied, and she meant it.

More time passed and silence fell on the group once again. An hour might have passed and the cooling wind was started to take its toll on the group. Before long, they started to become restless and Krillin was the first to stand up. He brushed his trousers to rid himself of the grass and soil that had become to accumulate there and stretched. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm shattered."

"Wait," Goku too stood up and brushed himself down. "Before you go, I wanted to ask a favour of you." Krillin raised an eyebrow, wondering what an earth the mighty Goku may need from him. "Well, next week I'm going to be travelling back to planet Yardrat; I promised I would repay them for the help they gave me after fighting Frieza, and they've asked I help them rebuild. I won't be gone too long, but while I'm away could you continue training Gohan for me?" The younger Saiyan looked over to his bald friend with an indifferent expression on his face. This obviously wasn't the first Gohan had heard of his father's scheduled leave of absence, and it was also obvious he had protested in the past.

"Er yeah, sure Goku. But do you really have to go? I mean, Frieza could arrive any day now and we do need you here."

Goku merely tugged a few twigs out of his messy hair and flicked them onto the floor. "Well if there's any sign of trouble, I'll come straight back. But it's been pretty quiet for a while now and I do owe them a favour, so if I'm going to go I think now would be the best time. Honestly, I think if Frieza was still alive he would have attacked by now. He's not the most patient of people."

Krillin looked at Goku's calm expression and wondered how he could be so relaxed when Frieza was a topic of conversation, but if Goku wasn't worried, than he shouldn't be either. He looked over to Gohan and smiled. "Well it looks like you've made your mind up. Of course I will, but I can't say Chi-Chi will like me any more for it." Krillin's smile however didn't last long and within seconds his face turned a frightening shade of white.

"What's up, Krillin?" Gohan asked, quickly looking over his shoulder to see if he had seen something in the distance that he hadn't.

"Well uh, what about Vegeta?" The small fighter asked in all seriousness. "He's not going to be happy with you leaving Goku. Honestly, I think you training with him is the only thing that is stopping him from killing us all. If you leave he might just lose it, and I presume you're not going to take him with you, are you?"

Despite his friend's fearful expression, Goku laughed. "Well," he began, trying to take Krillin seriously, "I don't think I should take Vegeta anywhere within a thousand miles of another planet." Everyone knew that Vegeta resembled a ticking time bomb, and right now a combination of planet Earth and training acted as his fuse. "But he's not actually as harsh as he comes across. It's all about keeping appearances up with Vegeta, he's not all that bad, not _really._ "

Krillin shot his friend an exasperated look. "As long as you don't ask me to train with him…I know he has his Capsule Corp spaceship to use, but I think he might get bored eventually. He's going to want _someone_ to test his new skills on, and I don't think there is anyone here he deems good enough for that apart from you, Goku."

Goku merely gave his signature cheeky smile and turned his gaze over to Fortina. "Actually, there might be." Gohan and Krillin followed his gaze and gave an audible 'oh yeah!'

It took a while for the female Saiyan to realise what was happening, but as soon as the cogs in her brain turned, her eyes widened in horror.

" _What?_ No way! You can get that thought out of your head right _now!_ "

They didn't.

Six days later Fortina, amongst a crowd of others, watched as one of Dr. Brief's Capsule Corp spaceships ascended into the sky and out of sight, carrying one particular Saiyan who was not in Fortina's good books at that moment in time.

 _I hate you Goku, but make sure you get back in one piece._

She turned her head over to where Vegeta was watching Goku's departure from several metres away to find, to her surprise, he was also looking at her. When she met his gaze he quickly turned and walked away with an even angrier look than he had been wearing moments earlier.

Lucky for her however, the contact time between Vegeta and Fortina was at a minimum. Vegeta would spend six out of seven days a week locked inside the spare spaceship training under whatever ridiculous gravity he saw fit, and only after his boredom kicked in would he request one day sparring with the other Saiyan. This routine happened for the first month, but as the number of sparring sessions between him and Fortina increased, he soon seemed to realise how useful they actually were. It wasn't long before Vegeta and Fortina sparred more frequently than he trained under increased gravity. Although neither would admit it, the disgust each other's company would originally bring slowly began to diminish.

Of course, there were days when they still wanted to tear each other's throats out, and any onlookers probably thought they might actually go through with it at times. The routine they had rarely changed, each holding their own both physically and mentally and gradually learning the skills required to tolerate the other.

So far, there had been no sign of Goku returning, or Frieza arriving for that matter. In fact, the only thing that seemed to be changing was the power levels of all the fighters. Some more than others and a higher rate, but they were all rising nonetheless. At times people wanted Frieza, or _someone,_ to arrive if only to give them something to test their training on.

However, they soon wished they hadn't given the thought such consideration…


	7. Chapter 7

It started off as a normal sparring session. Vegeta and Fortina had decided to take their training away from their normal base several miles away seemingly in the middle of nowhere in an attempt to reduce collateral damage. Days earlier, Vegeta's frustration had resulted in him destroying one of Dr. Brief's spare workshops. Thankfully no one was injured, but after the incident Bulma demanded Vegeta trained a good few miles away if not using her father's spaceship. Vegeta had merely replied with an angry comment at how he would be more than happy to since her father's buildings 'only get in the way anyway'. At the time, Fortina had to physically drag him away before Bulma unleashed hell. Now they found themselves in a somewhat sparse forest, with the occasional boulder and cave dotted around every couple of miles in each direction.

A flash of burning hot energy surged across a small clearing, lighting up the trees as it passed before reaching its target and bouncing away in the opposite direction. Vegeta clenched his hands into a fist and the attack disintegrated. Just as it disappeared, another ball of light emerged from seemingly nowhere and the Saiyan Prince barely had enough time to deflect the attack into a nearby tree.

"Careful Prince-y," Fortina called over the fighting, donning the nickname she knew Vegeta hated "we don't want to set the forest on fire!" He merely grunted an inaudible reply before sending his own counter-attack.

Over the past couple of months, Vegeta had found that sparring with the new Saiyan wasn't so bad after all. It was a good opportunity to test his fighting abilities knowing that she would likely be able to defend herself. And what's more, she was the only one who would actually agree to fighting with him.

Even though months had passed, Vegeta was still no closer to discovering Fortina's true power level, but the spikes in energy she underwent with his attacks were enough to keep his curiosity at bay for the time being. After a while he realised he didn't actually care too much. His main priority at the time being was to increase his own as much as possible in order to reach the legendary Super Saiyan level. If Kakarot could do it, then so could he.

Vegeta was just about to send another blast of energy at his opponent, when something nearby caught his attention. Although he couldn't see anything, a small blip on his mental map of power emerged and disappeared, and his instincts kicked in. With a quick glance over to Fortina, he noticed that she too, had resumed a defensive stance.

Neither of them spoke, the only sound came from the rustling of the leaves in the wind and the occasional twig snapping. He concentrated harder, pivoting on the spot with every sound. Minutes passed and he began to wonder whether he had imagined it, or it had simply been a stupidly powerful deer that had run past. Of course he knew that was impossible however, since deer couldn't be that strong. But still, if it wasn't a deer, then what was it?

Suddenly, he felt a prick in his arm.

Vegeta twisted his head to find a small dart hanging from his bicep. He picked it out and stared at it, before hearing Fortina exclaim in confusion. She too, had a dart stuck in her. _What the…?_

And that's when it started. Moments later, he felt his body begin to sway and his vision blurred. _Had they been tranquilised?_ Angry at his stupidity for letting something like this happen so easily, he staggered over to a nearby tree and grabbed it in an attempt to keep himself upright. He could feel everything around him fading away and knew he was only seconds away from losing all consciousness. But then the unimaginable happened. He started to recover. Slowly but surely, the surrounding forest regained its colour and his dizziness subsided, until eventually he felt normal again.

"Don't try and fight it." A hoarse, crispy voice entered his ears. Vegeta span around and scanned the clearing. He noticed Fortina had also sought the refuge of a tree in an attempt to remain standing, but at a second glance he watched in shock as the colour drained from her face. Her eyesight seemed to focus on something in the trees and her eyes began to widen as if she had seen a ghost. And then, Vegeta saw it as well.

A tall, dark figure stepped out from the treeline. As they emerged, Vegeta too, looked in horror. Before him stood a tall, muscular, and rather deadly looking Saiyan clad in full body armour with a stumpy brown tail wrapped neatly around his waist.

Thoughts raced through Vegeta's mind about how he couldn't really be seeing what he was seeing. The Saiyan race was _dead._ The only true Saiyans left were himself, Goku, Gohan, and now Fortina. There couldn't possibly be any more-

 _Wait._

The story of how Fortina had arrived on Earth entered his mind. He recalled her explanation about how she was on the run from another of their species. Was this him? Had he found her? Vegeta tore his gaze from the intruder and analysed her face. He himself was shocked at seeing another Saiyan, but Fortina looked as pale as a sheet. It was almost as if she _scared._ Her expression set him on edge. Fortina was a strong warrior, yet she feared the one that stood before her. Was there something to him that Vegeta would do best not to underestimate? Should he also be worried?

His new train of thought didn't last long, however. He was Vegeta; Prince of all Saiyans. He could take on anyone, and with his new found power he was confident he could even give Frieza a run for his money. Whoever this new Saiyan was, he was surely no match for him.

Vegeta straightened up. "Who are you?" The taller Saiyan looked over to him and smiled, revealing a line of jagged, shark-like teeth. He had red eyes with even redder hair. His very appearance was unnerving.

"Have we not been introduced?" He replied, sweetly. His tone of voice made Vegeta feel uncomfortable. "You don't know who I am, but I know who you are, _Vegeta._ You are our Prince. It's a relief to know you survived our planet's destruction."

Vegeta knew the mention of his name was supposed to unnerve him, but it didn't. Although he didn't know many of the warriors personally, of course they knew he was. He was their Prince, and it was only natural they recognise him. "And who are you?" He repeated, with a sterner voice than before.

The ginger Saiyan turned his gaze back over to Fortina. "You mean she hasn't told you? I thought she would have mentioned me, if not for the way you were both sparring. My mistake, I thought you were acquaintances at least." He returned his cold stare back over to Vegeta. "My name is Randal, and I am here to make this traitor pay for her crimes." Out of the corner of his eye, Vegeta noticed Fortina clench her fists. The colour in her face had returned and it seemed she was slowly coming back to her senses after the initial shock of the new Saiyan arriving. "Has she not explained her crimes to you, my Prince?"

Vegeta met her gaze and for a second her eyes flashed with worry, but it was soon replaced with anger. He knew that if he sided with Randal, Fortina would put up a good fight, and her stare was warning of that. "I know what she has done," he said simply, folding his arms.

"Ah." Randal sighed. "Why then may I ask, were you sparring with her upon my arrival? This Saiyan disobeyed orders and refused to be brought to justice by fleeing. That is a crime punishable by death, so tell me my Prince, why is she still standing?"

Vegeta moved his gaze from Randal to Fortina again, contemplating his words. The new Saiyan was right. Back on his home planet he would have executed her himself in a heartbeat and forgotten her name the next day. But for some reason, upon her arrival and after hearing her story, he hadn't even considered it. To an outsider, it was as if spending the past year on Earth had made him soft and weak. Maybe they were right, or maybe they weren't. Back on planet Vegeta, he was a mindless killing machine. But here on Earth he had learned so many new emotions that every now and again they made him regret his old ways. Kakarot had shown him mercy, and now he seemed to be repaying Fortina with that same notion. But was mercy the right word? Vegeta had murdered thousands and he was granted mercy. It was hardly fit to grant someone who had murdered _no one_ mercy. On Earth Fortina would be considered a hero, but on Vegeta she was a traitor. _What had he become? What changed?_

"She has done nothing wrong," he replied coldly, shocked at his own words of defence for her.

At his response Randal's eyebrows furrowed and his false, kind predisposition toward Vegeta subsided. "Just as I thought," he seethed, "you have gone soft. You father would be so disappointed in you, Vegeta. I came here seeking to bring a traitor to justice, but it seems I have found more than I bargained for. The Prince of all Saiyans himself is a traitor to his own race. You are have dishonoured our legacy, and for that you will pay."

At word of his father, Vegeta began to wonder whether Randal's harsh words held some truth. Would he really be disappointed with him? Had he really dishonoured his father's legacy? As he considered the past, the anger within him began to rise. _How dare he question me!_

"No," Vegeta spat, "I will not." He unfolded his hands and raised his head in defiance. "I am Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans. You know of my true power, and you would be stupid to think you stand a chance against such strength. Challenge me and you will fail."

His warning was normally enough to send less powerful beings running or begging for forgiveness, but to Vegeta's surprise, Randal grinned. "Perhaps." The ginger Saiyan smiled. "But not today. You see those darts that hit you before? It's a special serum made especially for the more powerful creatures of this universe. One small dose is enough to suppress your power for a short while. It is still there, but you can't access it. Right now Vegeta, you and your traitorous friend are as helpless as the earthlings you have decided to reside with on this planet."

Vegeta quickly turned to stare at the dart that lay on the floor before him that had struck him earlier. Was he bluffing? He turned to look back at Randal and noticed that above his Saiyan armour he was wearing a belt. Tucked into each pocket of the belt lay at least a dozen darts similar to the one he had pulled from his arm. At least half of them were yellow like the one on the floor, but there were a few that differed in colour.

Vegeta thrust his arm forwards and aimed a deadly blast at the dart on the floor in front of him. But to his horror, nothing happened. He could feel the power surging in his body but it simply failed to reach the surface. He tried again. Still nothing. He pulled his hand back and stared at it in disgust.

Randal smiled threateningly. "Here," he said, raising his own arm, "let me show you how it's done."

A simple, pale ball of light formed in the palm of his hand and started to make its way over to where Vegeta stood. Everything happened too fast for the Prince to comprehend. He tried to counterattack it but like before, nothing appeared that would save him from the blow that was about to hit. And hit it did.

Vegeta was flung backwards into a tree. It felt like his body was on fire, and to top it off, he felt his head strike the bark with a loud _thud._ He lay on the ground wheezing in pain, clutching his chest in a desperate attempt to ease the horrible nausea. Through staggering breaths, Vegeta raised his head to see Randal laughing.

"Oh," he smirked, "I'm going to enjoy this." The ginger Saiyan raised another arm, ready to attack. Vegeta could do nothing but watch as another energy attack formed. He wasn't sure how many ore attacks he could handle. But then, the unexpected happened.

Just as Randal was about to release his second attack, Fortina barrelled her entire body into the attacker. The ball of energy flew across the clearing once more, but instead of hitting its target, it struck the tree next to Vegeta.

"What the…?" He heard Randal stammer as he tried to get back to his feet. The darker haired Saiyan however, beat him to it.

With a well-time kicked, her foot connected with Randal's jaw and he was soon back on the ground again. She went in for another attack, but as she did, the ginger Saiyan grabbed her foot before she could land another strike. With a twist of his wrist, he knocked Fortina onto the floor face down. This time, with his unsuppressed speed and power, Randal beat her to her feet.

"Why you little-" he raised his foot to slam down on her, but she managed to roll out of the way just in time. She jumped to her feet and threw her whole weight into a punch, but again, Randal caught it. "Nice try," he grinned, before twisting it around her back. Fortina hissed in pain as the ginger Saiyan tightened his grip on her arm. And then, he threw her forwards. But before she hit the floor, Randal darted forwards and landed a round-house kick into her stomach. She bounced along the ground and once again, found her face buried in the dirt.

Vegeta watched in horror from across the clearing. With their power suppressed, they were no match for him, and at any moment he could kill them. They only option they had was to run, or wait until the serum's effect ran its course. Vegeta however, wasn't sure how long that would be or whether they would be able to last that long. Slowly, he pushed himself up back onto two feet after the pain in his stomach began to subside. That was when he heard Fortina scream.

Randal had taken advantage of Fortina's defenceless position to raise a foot and slam it down onto her tail that lay sprawled out to the side of her. He did it again, and Fortina wailed in pain.

Vegeta stared in shock. He recalled the first time anyone had grabbed his tail and the pain that it brought him, but that was what made him develop a resistance to such attacks. From a very young age, Vegeta had trained to make the Saiyan's weak spot no longer vulnerable to enemies until it got to the point that touching it had no effect on him. But by Fortina's screams, it appeared she had not undergone the same training regime. _What a fool!_

Randal twisted and rubbed his foot on Fortina's tail, and with every movement her face lost more of its colour. Her hands gripped the dirt tightly out of reflex, but apart from that, there was nothing she could do.

She felt him raise his foot off her tail ready to stomp on it again. Although there was no immediate force on it, her tail still throbbed and the pain was unbearable. She closed her eyes, waiting for the impact and the immense pain it would bring. However, the impact never came.

Like she had done before, Vegeta threw his whole body weight into their attacker in an attempt to barrel him into the ground.

There was a scramble that followed as both men pushed themselves onto their feet again. Once more, Randal was faster. He raised his arm ready to blast Vegeta into oblivion, but just as he did, Fortina made her move.

Fighting against the sheer pain, she grabbed two of the yellow darts encased in the ginger Saiyan's belt and thrust them deep into Randal's arm, just in time to push the attack off course. The next thing Fortina felt was a fist connect with her stomach and her body hit the ground again.

Randal began to stagger backwards, desperately pulling the darts from his arm. "What have you done?" He spat. Vegeta was the next to move. The Saiyan Prince punched their attacked and knocked him to the ground. He stood above him with clenched fists ready to attack again, but then a thought struck him.

When a dart had hit him before, he felt like he was going to pass out. He knew that it wouldn't be long before Randal recovered from the sensation and they were back to square one again. Of course, he wouldn't be able to access his power, but considering he was a lot taller and more muscular than them both, and not to mention they were both already injured, Randal would still have the upper hand. They only had one option. They had to run while they had the chance.

Vegeta turned around to see Fortina slowly regaining her footing. He noticed that as she stood back up, her body shook and every step was accompanied with a stagger. Her tail hung limply on the floor next to her in an odd shape. One didn't need a doctor to see that it was broken.

"We need to go," Vegeta ordered. "We need to go _now!"_


	8. Chapter 8

p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"The two Saiyans must have been running for the best part of an hour before they showed any sign of slowing. Vegeta was leading the way in the direction back to the city with Fortina close behind. Admittedly, they were running a lot slower than he had hoped for, but he knew that in Fortina's current condition, they couldn't go much faster./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"A Saiyan's tail not only brought them power, but it gave them balance as well. It had taken Vegeta a while to get used to manoeuvring without the extra limb when it had been first cut off, but he had managed it eventually. Yet in Fortina's case, her tail was still attached; just broken. She couldn't use it for balance, and every movement or jolt it underwent brought her immense pain. It was surprising she had managed to last as long as she did./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"Both of them slowed to a stop as their now weaker lungs screamed out for them to take a rest. Such reduced power didn't just mean they couldn't attack or defend, but it also meant they didn't have the stamina they once had./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"Vegeta wiped his brow of the beads of sweat that had begun to form while looking back through the trees to see if anyone was close behind. From the looks of things, they were alone. If his calculations were correct, it would only be another hour or so before they reached some form of civilisation. If they were lucky, the serum might have worn off by then and they could fly back. But for now, they needed a rest./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"He glanced over to Fortina who had now placed herself at the base of a tree with her legs stretched out in front of her. Her head was leant back against the bark and despite the calm exterior she was trying to portray though her closed eyes, her face held a slight tinge of pain. Vegeta found himself staring at her, taking this opportunity to try and analyse anything he could from the strange Saiyan. She was a powerful warrior much like himself, yet any contact with her tail made her incapacitated like a child. If she didn't have that weakness, then they may have stood a chance against Randal. emYes, /emhe thought, emthis is her fault./em/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"Fortina opened her eyes and Vegeta quickly looked away. "What?" She asked. But Vegeta just scowled at her like he usually did./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;""We might have been able to beat that Saiyan back there if you weren't so emweak./em" He shifted his gaze to her limp tail on the floor with an exaggerated, pitiful expression./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"Fortina tilted her head forwards. "Oh I'm emsorry./em" She spat in return, "well while you were having a tea party on the floor with the grass I thought I might try and emattack./em You remember what fighting is, right? Or didn't you fight back on our planet? Maybe you just ordered everyone emelse/em to fight your battles for you while you sat under your father's throne as a child."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"Vegeta could feel his face getting redder by the second. "How emdare /emyou!" He seethed. "I am by emfar /emthe greatest fighter here and you have the audacity to question me?" At his response, Fortina pushed herself up onto two feet again to face him./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;""Oh well if you're so brilliant then how come emI /emwas the one who had to save you? If it wasn't for me you would be a pile of ashes by now!"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"Vegeta was just about to tell her how he emnever /emneeded help from anyone else and how if she didn't shut that trap of hers he would turn her into a pile of ashes himself when suddenly, a loud buzzing noise filled the air. Both Saiyans looked up to see Bulma's ship hovering in the distance. Fortina began to wave her arms frantically and it didn't take long before the oddly-designed ship spotted them and lowered to the floor not far away. A bedraggled, blue-haired woman popped her head out of the cabin door and crossed her arms angrily./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;""Fortina! You said you would be back for five o'clock to help me dye my-oh my emgod /emwhat happened to you?!" Her cross expression soon faded as her eyes took in the state the two of her friends were currently in. Her head switched between Fortina's limp tail to Vegeta's ripped clothing and back again. "What did you emdo /emto each other?!"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;""We didn't emdo /emanything!" Vegeta snarled./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;""Bulma, we'll explain everything on the way back, but right now you have to give us a lift!"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"Bulma looked at the two people stood before her and turned a disgruntled nose up at their dirty clothing. "Why can't you just fly? I'veem just/em cleaned this ship and I don't want your mucky outfits bringing in half of the forest-"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;""emBulma!" /emVegeta and Fortina shouted in unison./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"Reluctantly, she agreed./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"The journey back to Dr. Brief's compound didn't take long at all. For that Vegeta was glad, but he was also annoyed that his power was yet to show any signs of returning. After Fortina explained the whole series of events to Bulma, she insisted that they get checked out by her father. In a way it was good the serum still had an effect, because it meant there was a chance he could analyse it and possibly develop an anti –serum./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"After arriving back, Dr. Brief took a few blood samples and began to create a splint for Fortina's tail. Vegeta however, refused any further assistance. He was bruised and banged up but there was nothing he desperately needed looking at. Word soon spread to the others about Randal, and to his surprise, no one blamed Fortina for the new intruder. Without anyway to track him, the only thing they could do was continue their training and for now, wait until he showed his face again and hope by that time Dr. Brief had developed an anti-serum. They were fairly confident he hadn't been able to follow Bulma's ship back to their compound, and their main interest rested in the mysterious serum that had managed to supress Vegeta's and Fortina's Saiyan power. Although it took a lot longer than Vegeta had hoped for, upon waking the next day, his strength had returned and he felt as bright as rain. A maximum of twelve hours seemed to be the general consensus of the serum's longevity, which was a relief to Fortina, but a disappointment for Vegeta. Twelve hours of being a human was twelve hours too long./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"A week since Randal's appearance soon passed and no one had heard Vegeta speak more than a sentence to any one of the group. He was bitter and angry, and seemed to be using the gravity chamber as a way to avoid everything and everyone. There was still no sign of Goku, and no sign of Randal. In fact, not much had changed in the past seven days. Fortina's tail had healed and Vegeta's cuts and bruises were nothing but a memory. It was like the calm before the storm. But whether the storm was simply going to be a few rain clouds or a thunderous hurricane, no one knew./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;""Right!" Bulma shouted, slamming her cup of coffee onto the table in front of her. Fortina almost fell off her stool in fright. Rather than train, she had promised to spend the day with her blue-haired friend who had previously announced that if she had to spend one more day watching Yamcha fight, she was going to go insane. That of course, was Fortina's cue to keep her company. The group's training had increased dramatically since the intruder of the previous week and although Bulma wouldn't say it out loud, Fortina knew she was feeling a bit left out. So, best friend duty had been activated and they were spending the day relaxing and doing…emnothing. /emNothing, that was, up until the point Bulma decided to give her friend a heart attack./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;""Bloody hell, Bulma!" Fortina gasped, resting her hand over her beating heart. "Warn me before you want to smash your mug next time." Bulma ignored her./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;""I'm fed up of everyone being so emserious /emall the time. The world could end tomorrow and how did we spend our last week? Doing absolutely emnothing, /emthat's what!" Fortina sat and stared at her, not daring to interrupt her friend when she went on one of her famous rants. Once she started, there was no stopping her. "I know you're taking the day off to spend the day with me Fortina and I really appreciate it, but I can tell you're distracted. You keep looking out the window as if someone is going to appear and kidnap us and you haven't said much all day."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"Fortina sighed. It was true, and she did feel guilty about it. She was supposed to be spending time with her friend, but instead she was only giving her half of her attention. "I'm sorry Bulma, I don't mean to. I'm just worried something might happen. It's ridiculous, I know, and I'm sorry-"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;""Don't be," Bulma interrupted, "I understand. Well, sort of anyway. But that's exactly my point. I'm going to emdo /emsomething to cheer you all up." Fortina just blinked at her, confused. Knowing Bulma all too well, she could be planning absolutely anything./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;""I'm going to throw a party!"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"Fortina just stared at her, bewildered./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;""What's a…party?"/p 


End file.
